


Brighter Days

by JantoJones



Series: Modest Briefings (The 2nd 100) [48]
Category: The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-20
Updated: 2019-06-20
Packaged: 2020-05-15 12:01:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19295317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JantoJones/pseuds/JantoJones
Summary: Illya remembers a childhood friend.





	Brighter Days

**Author's Note:**

> Hang on to the world as it spins around   
> Just don't let the spin get you down   
> Think of moving fast   
> Hold on tight and you will last   
> Give your self respect, your manly pride   
> Get yourself in gear   
> Keep your stride   
> Never mind your fears   
> Brighter days will soon be here   
> Take it from me, someday we'll all be free, yeah
> 
> Someday We’ll All Be Free – Don Hathaway

Two boys huddled together in a space which could barely hold one of them. The older one was thirteen years of age. The younger one was nine, though his scrawny frame would fool anyone into thinking he was much younger. They were hiding, with their breaths held, from the soldiers who were hunting for anyone fit enough to serve in the army.

Illya Nickovich Kuryakin and Gleb Ruslanovich Firsov listened in abject terror at the sounds of women screaming, men yelling, and children crying. Boys as young as thirteen, up to men in their sixties, if they were still fit, were being forced from their homes and conscripted. No-one could fight it, as it would have meant instant death. The army needed soldiers, so there was no choice.

Illya and Gleb had only known one another for a few months, but they had come to rely on each other to survive. Whatever food they could get was shared between them, and whenever one was attacked the other would jump in to defend him. Gleb had been horrified when he’d been told what had happened to Illya’s mother, grandmother, and sisters, and had taken it upon himself to take care of Illya himself; though having seen him fight, he was in no doubt the kid could take care of himself. 

The younger boy often suffered from nightmares, so Gleb would reassure him that things would be different when the war ended. He would declare that brighter days were ahead, and that they would all be free; all they had to do was ignore their fears and hold on.

The pair stiffened in fear as they heard boots coming towards them. It was at this moment that the cold Illya had been coming down with made itself known. He sneezed, and immediately attracted the soldiers towards them.

The boys were dragged from their inadequate hiding place and hauled in front of a very imposing captain. The man appraised them, and after a drawn out period, he declared Gleb to be good enough. Illya, however, was deemed too young, weak, and sickly. The captain suggested it would probably be better to ‘let the runt crawl off and die in the street’, but was suddenly struck by a glint in the boy’s eye. For all his physical shortcomings, there was a definite intelligence lurking inside his head. The captain instructed that Illya should be sent to be tested and, if he passed, he would be educated.

Illya immediately made a break for it but was easily stopped and, as he was led away, he could hear Gleb calling out to him.

“Ya nye zabudu tebya nikogda! ( _I will never forget you!_ )”

........................................................................................

The pain of losing the only person in his life whom he trusted had stuck with Illya for a long time. It was because of this that he had decided never to let anyone get that close ever again. Aside from the fact it was dangerous to trust anyone, the pain of losing friends was too much to bear. Which was why, as he sat by the bed of his injured partner, Illya’s memory of Gleb had come to the surface.

Napoleon was recovering, and would be as good as new in a few weeks, but it had been close. It wasn’t the first time Illya had found himself in this position, nor would it be the last, but the thought of almost losing his closest friend was weighing heavily on him. Illya had made a promise to himself that he would never get this close but, as it turned out, it had been a necessity. In their job, you needed someone who could be relied on to always have your back; whatever the situation.

Illya thought about all the things Gleb had said about brighter days coming. Surprisingly, it wasn’t the end of the war, or move to U.N.C.L.E., which he considered as being ‘brighter days’. It was the friendship he had finally allowed to flourish. Napoleon was a pain in the backside, far too optimistic, and perennially cheerful, but he was also honest, true, and faithful. 

One time, Illya had looked into what had happened to Gleb. He’d feared that he would have been taken by the war, but was overjoyed to discover that he had survived. He was now a farmer, with a wife and seven children; the oldest of which was called Illya.


End file.
